"Serendipity" is a song by South Koreanboy bandBTS, sung as a solo by member Jimin. It was originally released digitally as an introductory song on September 8, 2017 in the extended play', with the full length edition of the song being released on August 24, 2018 in '. It was written by "hitman" bang, Ashton Foster, Ray Michael Djan Jr., RM, and Slow Rabbit, who was also credited as the producer.
Background and release
According to writer Ray Michael Djan Jr., "Serendipity" started out as a deep, meaningful paragraph. The producers concentrated on making a strong melody for the song as usually the lyrics are changed from English to Korean. When the trailer was released both "Jimin" and "Serendipity" trended worldwide. In a vLive broadcast member RM revealed Jimin's goal with the song was to "push himself as a vocalist" resulting in him coming to RM for advice. Member RM also showed a snippet of his version. When the music video was released it garnered over seven million views and one million likes in twenty-four hours.
Promotion
The music video was released as a teaser for the upcoming EP . The song was promoted at the 2018 KBS Song Festival in December 2018.
Music video
The music video was directed by Choi Yongseok and Lee Wonju of Lumpens with the choreography for the song created by Brian Puspos who has worked with them before on previous dances such as "Butterfly". Other key personnel on staff were Nam Hyunwoo of GDW who was the director of photography, Shin Seunghoon who was the gaffer, Park Jinsil of MU:E who served as the art director, and Seo Seungeok who handled the special effects.
Composition
Musically, the song has been described as sensual and soothing, with hints of delicate electronic-tinged R&B in it. The genre was termed Alternative R&B by Billboard, with the intro version running 2:20 and the full version being 4:36. It is in the key of A♭ major and is eighty-seven beats per minute. With gender neutral lyrics it talked about following your dreams, love, identity, and purpose.
Reception
"Serendipity" received critical acclaim with IZM stating "Serendipity" has a dreamlike quality to it, unraveling the joy, conviction, and curiosity of love. Chester Chin from star2 stated the song was a "soft and sensual ballad an exquisite display of the group’s maturity". The intro version of the song sold 114,128 digital copies in South Korea, with the full length version peaking at number twenty-nine for digital sales in the United States and selling more than 10,000 copies. In Canada, the full length version was the thirty-ninth best selling song upon release and was the eighth best seller worldwide.
Credits and personnel
The song's credits are adapted from the CD liner notes of .
